


If Roses Talked

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Insanity, Love Triangles, Possessive Behavior, Psychological Horror, Roses, Spoilers, Trick or Treat: Trick, Unrequited Love, aftermath of physical and psychological torture, female pronouns for Karren, mentions of depression and starvation, violent imagery disguised by subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 13:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21162779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: If roses talked, what would they say?Karren shares all her secrets with them, including her love for Master Shuu.She wants to give him a rose.





	If Roses Talked

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foxjar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/gifts).

If roses talked, what would they say?

Karren often asked herself that question, even in the early days of her servitude to the Tsukiyama family. Surrounded by dewed roses, and the grandest rose of all, the last survivor of Rosewald focused wholeheartedly on that crucial question.

The roses became her sanctuary, her confidants. She spoke to their captivate petals of the one she sacrificed her identity for, to become his servant in place of her deceased brothers.

What would those blushing roses say?

“Master Shuu…”

Even with closed eyes, Karren still felt the cobbled garden path beneath her feet, a sweet song on her pursed, dry lips. One step after the other, like a ticking clock, a tight smile tugged at her mouth.

She knew they were there, those captivating red roses in a serene garden, the very ones she always whispered to. But she knew the most perfect rose of all was out of her reach.

That flawless rose, inside a quiet bedroom, clinging desperately to life and nourished by the love around it. _ Her _ love. A grand specimen, so poorly, protected by a Knight and a devoted Servant.

By Matsumae, Karren felt a little less scared, knowing that the son of the Tsukiyama family was in good hands. Still, her two greatest secrets went unspoken to her source of strength and to the man she treasured beyond measure.

The man that still obsessed over a ghost from his past, the cause of his withered fall from grace. For two long years, the most beautiful rose grew frail, Shuu Tsukiyama, the infamous Gourmet Ghoul of the 20th ward, falling to madness, overcome with severe depression and refusing to eat. His only want was Kaneki Ken, who no longer existed.

The flailing, the heart wrenching screams, Karren believed to understand them all too well, and she lamented Shuu’s fate while resenting the one known as Kaneki.

Sometimes, in a rare respite from the night terrors, her Master sometimes shared his dreams with her. Karren held these intimate exchanges close to her heart, humbled by his trust.

Behind brambles nightmares, of withered roses and dying leaves, Shuu saw _ him _ beyond the thicket.

The boy with the kindly eyes.

A sigh of relief, however, was short lived when that ebony night hair slowly transformed before his eyes, stained white and turning Kaneki into someone he didn’t recognise.

Someone… different.

Suddenly, the veil inevitably shattered and the Master awakened, screaming his throat raw and begging for Kaneki, not for her help.

And Karren, with the strong hearted Matsumae, sat by his side, tending to his broken heart and failing body in whatever way they could.

With every second passing, the ticking of a clock echoed within the unseen courtyard, Karren flinched, then proceeded, her repeated thoughts regular as clockwork.

If roses talked, what would they say?

As if by fate, she finally opened her eyes, and came upon a rose at her feet, a blood red flush in the ebony of night. A stiff smile blessed her lips, a hummingbird’s wings fluttering inside her heart.

_ ‘Ah, a perfect rose…’ _

She lifted the rose missing a stem, admiring the perfection with every drop of red water splashing her face.

From her back, thorns began to grow, protecting the determined rose within. Her lips parted, fighting against the stitching, her secret ready to bloom in a long faded garden.

She held the rose close, grinning as she shared another secret with the head, drowning out the ticking of the clock with her own song.

“_ A perfect rose for a perfect Master. _

_ Master Shuu, my heart is yours always..._

_Your Karren...”_

**Author's Note:**

> Another Trick or Treat fill, this time, a Trick for the prompt Descent Into Madness. Perfect for Tokyo Ghoul. 💜
> 
> The prompt requested a look into Karren’s torture, which I tried from an aftermath approach. I took a leaf from her canon behaviour, having her leaning back on the one thing that kept her going - Shuu and the past of serving him in a beautiful garden.
> 
> We get those important glimpses of Matsumae and Karren taking care of Shuu, his yearning for Kaneki, and the descent into madness that affected them from the loss of loved ones.
> 
> This story took a whimsical, dreamy approach, even the ending with Karren’s “rose” clearly not being a rose and what the torture did to her.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. 💜


End file.
